Parmesan Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries

2 lb Sweet Potatoes
1/4 C Olive Oil
Sea Salt
2 Tbs chopped Rosemary
1/4 C Grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut potatoes into wedges
Put in a large plastic bag
Add in Olive Oil and Chopped Rosemary
Shake until well coated

Cover baking sheet with foil
Spread potato on baking sheet
Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and Salt

Bake for 20-25 Minutes and turn halfway through.
Transfer to paper towel and serve warm.

Maple chili!

I have been told to enter this Chili in the Minnesota state fair, I haven't done that but it has won many a chili contest. I know you will love it, the perfect blend of sweet and spicy- this is not your mama's chilly!







3 lbs Maple Sausage links
1 Very large onion chopped
1 Large Red Pepper Chopped
1 Large Orange Pepper Chopped
Two large cans of stewed tomatoes
2 14.5 oz can of tomato sauce
3 1/2 Tbs. of Chili powder
1/2 tsp. of Cumin
1/2 tsp. all spice
1/4 tsp. of black pepper
1/4 cup of Per maple syrup (or more!)
2 14.5 oz cans of Spicy chili beans, do not drain.
1 14.5 oz Dark Red Kidney Beans drained and rinsed.
1 lb of shredded aged cheddar cheese

You can prepare this recipe on right on the stove top if you are in a hurry, or you can brown all the meats and throw everything into a crock pot on low for eight hours. I prefer to do it in the crock pot and let all the flavors blend together through the day but either way it will be delicious!

For the stove top method;
Brown the sausage
Add in onion, red and orange pepper until just soft.
Mix in the spices
Stir in the tomatoes
Add the chili beans and kidney beans
Simmer for at least an hour

Serve in bowl and cover with shredded aged cheddar cheese and enjoy!

Turning 45? Feeling a little mid-life crisis coming on? The cure - Bake!

Oh the joy of an upcoming birthday...It use to be that I looked forward to these days with anticipation, knowing that surely it would be a terrific day. But this one, oh part of me just wishes the day would just pass by without happening. The weekend before my 45th birthday is presenting me with a slight pain of life contemplation - so what better to distract myself - bake! Nothing better than the sweet smell of butter and cinnamon, peanut butter and chocolate, raspberries and almonds to wipe away the fears of middle age and make one feel like a kid again...And so I bake!

First on the list - Monkey bites

Oh you have all heard of monkey bread- that sweet cinnamon and sugar bread that is sure to make you swoon but Monkey bites- are like little bits of heaven, melting in your mouth, a delight of flavor rolling over your tongue, not enough to overwhelm but instead the perfect tease of flavor - slightly orgasmic if I do say so myself!

1 package Pillsbury cinnamon rolls
Butter
Cinnamon
Sugar
Vanilla extract

Instead of baking the Cinnamon rolls as is, roll each out into a long strip. Cut into 1 inch wedges.

In the bottom of a muffin tin, fill each compartment with a half a pat of butter.
Spoon in a half teaspoon of sugar
Next add a 1/4 tsp of cinnamon
Place 3 of the wedges on top of the cinnamon, these should be placed next to each other so they form a little triangle of dough.
Put another half pat of butter on top of the dough
Add another 1/2 tsp on sugar on top of the butter
Add another 1/4 tsp of cinnamon on top of the sugar
Now top each with just a smidgen (a drop) of vanilla

Put these babies in a 375 degree oven until golden brown and bubbly.
Immediately drizzle with just a little sweetened condensed milk and cool.

French Onion Soup - a little piece of heaven!

A chilly fall Saturday, perfect day to fill the house with wonderful smells and the warmth of our favorite soup. My daughter Jo takes to the kitchen and begins to chop- soon her eyes are watering but it's all for a good cause- French onion soup! A family favorite!



4-5 large onions chopped, about 4 pounds - sweet onion is best
A dash ( not more ) of fresh thyme
3-5 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
flour, about 1/4 cup
1-2 cups Sherry wine
8 ounces beef broth
4 beef bullion cubes
4-5 tsp of butter

1 package Provolone Cheese sliced
1 loaf french bread

The process:

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a dutch oven over medium heat.
Add onion and all spices together, stir in with butter.
Put in oven at 350 degrees for an hour
Scrape the onion from the sides and bottom of dutch oven and put back in oven for another 45 minutes, Mix the onions again- making sure that you get the carmelization off the bottom and sides of the dutch oven. (Don’t worry too much about burning the onions. All that burned on goodness is going to be perfect flavoring!)
Add in the beef broth and wine. Put on the stove top at a simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently.

Add in 4 bouillian cubes and stir.
Salt and pepper to taste and add in flour slowly while stirring.
Simmer for another 15 minutes.

Cut French bread in slices, toast under the broiler for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.

Spoon soup into crock, put a slice of french bread in the soup and top with slice of provolone cheese...wait for it to melt and enjoy!